The present disclosure relates generally to computer networks, and, in particular, to methods, systems, and computer program products for tokenized domain name resolution.
In accessing networked computers, domain names are often used as textual substitutes for locating particular Internet protocol (IP) addresses. For example, the domain name “www.example.com” may be equivalent to the IP address: 192.0.34.166. Domain names are typically composed of multiple labels delimited by dots and ending with a top-level domain name. Top-level domain names include well-known names such as “.org”, “.com”, “.net”, and others that provide an initial level of structure to systematically resolve a domain name. When a request is made to access a domain name, a lookup operation is typically performed on a domain name server to translate the domain name into the corresponding IP address, which is utilized by elements of a network infrastructure to route packets to the requested location. When the IP address of a domain name is unknown, a request to resolve the name may be sent to multiple servers to hierarchically resolve the name starting with a root server, such as “.org”, down through sub-domains until the domain name is fully resolved.
Some domain names contain one or more sub-domains, such as “www.an.example.com”. The addition of sub-domains can increase precision in selecting from different servers at a given domain, but the name resolution process may be handled in a similar manner to domain names that do not include sub-domains by successively analyzing each sub-domain level. Thus, existing domain names and the domain name system in general function much like a phone book, serving as a lookup system to locate information. However, it would be beneficial to enhance the existing domain name system by adding an ability to embed tokens within domain names such that the embedded tokens can be identified and extracted to trigger execution of one or more processes prior to accessing the domain name itself. For example, embedding tokens in a domain name could trigger a variety of processes, such as making a charitable donation prior to transferring control to the domain name. The ability to extract and process embedded tokens from a tokenized domain name may enhance existing domain names through adding functionality prior to visiting a given domain name. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for tokenized domain name resolution.